Islamic schools including those funded by the British government and private institutions are forcing children — some of whom are very young — to wear the Islamic Hijab as part of their uniform code.

The garment, which is designed to shield women from the lust of men, is heavily associated with conservative interpretations of the Islamic faith.

The revelations over children being forced to wear the shroud at school comes just weeks after a Transport for London road safety campaign featuring a child girl in a hijab was criticised and ultimately scrapped for “sexualising four-year-olds”.

The revelation comes from research by the National Secular Society, which has told the education minister that the hijab head covering is a compulsory item of school uniform for girls in 59 schools they are aware of across the United Kingdom, reports The Sunday Times.